Participation Type

Panel

Session Title

Appalachian History for the People: Recent Public History Projects

Session Abstract or Summary

Three recent projects are bringing Appalachian history to the people. One project, SciotoHistorical.org, creates virtual historical markers along the Scioto River near Portsmouth, Ohio, and fills gaps left by existing monuments and public history exhibits. While the murals of steel mills are mostly devoid of workers, the Scioto Historical smartphone app tells the story of the 1936 steel strike in Portsmouth, which occurred at the birth of the CIO and its Steel Workers Organizing Committee. The app takes visitors to important locations in the strike’s history and tells them what happened.

A second project, the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum, is a collaborative effort to educate the public about the battles over unionization in the early 1900s. The museum celebrated its grand opening the day of the Matewan Massacre re-enactment, and 500 visitors walked through its exhibits on the Paint Creek-Cabin Creek Strike and the Battle of Blair Mountain. Since its grand opening, it has already reached thousands of visitors and some board members have even taken this history on the road.

Finally, creators of a third project, the Paint Creek Audio History Project, have collected oral histories from along Paint Creek, West Virginia, and have incorporated them into a GPS-activated app that keeps working when cell phone coverage drops off. The stories explore the origins of towns, life in the coalfields, and the famous 1912-1913 strike that reinvigorated District 17 of the UMWA and inspired the Ralph Chaplin song “Solidarity Forever.”

About the Presenter

Presentation #1 Title

SWOC and the Portsmouth Steel Strike of 1936: Revising Pubic History in the Digital Age

Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary

Over the last few years, Dr. Feight and his students have developed SciotoHistorical.org, a series of virtual historical markers along the Scioto River near Portsmouth, Ohio, that fills gaps left by existing monuments and public history exhibits. While the murals of steel mills are mostly devoid of workers, the Scioto Historical smartphone app tells the story of the 1936 steel strike in Portsmouth, which occurred at the birth of the CIO and its Steel Workers Organizing Committee (SWOC). The strike came at a unique time in labor history: the last days of the old Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel, and Tin Workers, and the beginning of SWOC. Exploring it tells us much about the role of local workers’ movements in the broader landscape of labor history. The strike settlement appears to have been a lost for the workers, but a powerful signal of a new age to the steel companies. The Scioto Historical app takes visitors to important locations in the strike’s history and tells them what happened.

At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1

Dr. Andrew Feight, professor of history at Shawnee State University, has studied abolitionism and religion in early American history. He and his students have developed SciotoHistorical.org, a smartphone app to make local history more accessible.

Presentation #2 Title

Creating the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum: A Collaborative Process

Presentation #2 Abstract or Summary

The West Virginia Mine Wars Museum, is a collaborative effort to educate the public about the battles over unionization in the early 1900s. For two years, an all-volunteer board of directors worked together to define a vision for the museum, file tedious legal forms, and gather artifacts. The museum celebrated its grand opening on May 16, 2015, the day of the Matewan Massacre re-enactment, and 500 visitors walked through its exhibits on company town life, the Paint Creek-Cabin Creek Strike, the Battle of Matewan, the Miners' March, and the Battle of Blair Mountain. The process of creating the museum brought together volunteers with a variety of skill sets, contacts, and experiences. They have discovered that their diverse experiences has been a great asset. Since its grand opening, it has already reached thousands of visitors and some board members have even taken this history on the road, as two board members recently developed materials for fourth graders and participated in a recent education event in Fayette County.

At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2

Lou Martin is an associate professor of history at Chatham University, and Wilma Lee Steele is a retired schoolteacher from Mingo County. Both are members of the board of directors of the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum.

Presentation #3 Title

Marking History Up Paint Creek: Old Stories and New Technology

Presentation #3 Abstract or Summary

Finally, creators of a third project, the Paint Creek Audio History Project, have collected oral histories from along Paint Creek, West Virginia, and have incorporated them into a GPS-activated app that keeps working when cell phone coverage drops off. The stories explore the origins of towns, life in the coalfields, and the famous 1912-1913 strike that reinvigorated District 17 of the UMWA and inspired the Ralph Chaplin song “Solidarity Forever.” The 1912-1913 strike resulted in a new leadership in District 17 that included Frank Keeney and Fred Mooney. District 17 grew by leaps and bounds during World War I but ran headlong into the coal operators armed guards and martial law at the end of the war. The result was the so-called Second Mine War. Since then, Paint Creek’s tight knit coal towns have experienced the ups and downs of the coal industry but have kept their history alive. The Paint Creek Audio History Project brings together many of these stories for the first time.

Finally, creators of a third project, the Paint Creek Audio History Project, have collected oral histories from along Paint Creek, West Virginia, and have incorporated them into a GPS-activated app that keeps working when cell phone coverage drops off. The stories explore the origins of towns, life in the coalfields, and the famous 1912-1913 strike that reinvigorated District 17 of the UMWA and inspired the Ralph Chaplin song “Solidarity Forever.”

At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3

Catherine Moore is an independent journalist, audio producer, and historian whose work has been most recently featured on West Virginia Public Broadcasting and the Allegheny Front.

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SWOC and the Portsmouth Steel Strike of 1936: Revising Pubic History in the Digital Age

Over the last few years, Dr. Feight and his students have developed SciotoHistorical.org, a series of virtual historical markers along the Scioto River near Portsmouth, Ohio, that fills gaps left by existing monuments and public history exhibits. While the murals of steel mills are mostly devoid of workers, the Scioto Historical smartphone app tells the story of the 1936 steel strike in Portsmouth, which occurred at the birth of the CIO and its Steel Workers Organizing Committee (SWOC). The strike came at a unique time in labor history: the last days of the old Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel, and Tin Workers, and the beginning of SWOC. Exploring it tells us much about the role of local workers’ movements in the broader landscape of labor history. The strike settlement appears to have been a lost for the workers, but a powerful signal of a new age to the steel companies. The Scioto Historical app takes visitors to important locations in the strike’s history and tells them what happened.